UC Berkeley Press Release

UC Berkeley students roll out Halloween fun for local kids

By Noel Gallagher, Media Relations | 27 October 2004

BERKELEY – Young giggling goblins and smiling princesses will enjoy a safe and fun Halloween this week at several trick-or-treat bonanzas put on annually by students at the University of California, Berkeley.

Students in the campus residence halls are breaking out the orange and black streamers and fake cobwebs as they get ready to pass out lots of candy on Thursday to visiting students from Markham Elementary School in Oakland at the 5th annual All Hall-o-Ween celebration organized by the Residence Hall Assembly.

The residence halls will be open to the young students, and their younger or older siblings, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Resident Hall Assembly Program Director Wayne Hoang said they expect about 300 students.

"The biggest activity will be at Bowles Hall where a big haunted house will be set up," Hoang said. Another haunted house will be set up at Beverly Cleary Hall at Unit 3 Residences, he said.

On Friday, fraternity and sorority members will put their pointed hats together and whisk about 200 Berkeley elementary school students through the neighborhood just south of campus where the fraternities and sororities are clustered.

"I'm really looking forward to it," said Andy Solari, a member of Zeta Psi and a fourth year history/political science major. "It's a great way for us to give something back to the community and help these kids have a fun Halloween."

The trick-or-treaters will be from Emerson Elementary School, Malcolm X Elementary School and John Muir Elementary School. Once they arrive, at about 2:30 in the afternoon, UC Berkeley students will team up with the children to walk them through the neighborhood until about 5 p.m.

In addition to passing out candy for traditional trick-or-treating, some fraternities and sororities will set up haunted house tours or offer face-painting and other activities.

"It's our third year doing this. The kids really like it, they talk about it every year," said Michelle Miguelez, after-school program coordinator at Emerson Elementary School. "They're really eager."